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Dremel Pillar Drill (Precision Drill Press)

drill stand for a Dremel giving a plunge depth of about 70 mm.
2m
1× print file
0.30 mm
0.40 mm
1.00 g
125
356
0
3772
updated November 29, 2023

Description

PDF

Dremel Pillar Drill (Drill Press)

 

Precision pillar drill stand for a Dremel giving a plunge depth of about 70 mm.  Any Dremel that has the ‘standard’ 16 mm screw at the business end should fit but I’ve only tested this with the Model 800.

 

Inspiration:

I bought a cheap Chinese pillar drill stand a few years ago for about the price of a pile of sh*t that performed as you would expect.  It was clunky and stiff to operate and never could make two holes in the same place.

This is my version of a precision pillar drill that simply works.  Printed and assembled properly, it has no perceivable twist or flex and with a 70 mm plunge (ie:  about 70 mm material thickness).

I’ve ended up using rubber bands for a ‘counterweight’ instead of a compression spring just ‘cause it’s easier to source and much cheaper.  The rubber bands are easier to attach and replace if required.  (I tried using the original expansion spring but it ended up firing across the room and destroying a vase and very nearly cracking a window so that was a big oops).

I used the original steel tubing and rod which dictates the specs below.  I also used the original base but it will work fine free-standing.

The Dremel adaptor is from Pillar Drill Press - Dremel 
by PJ in his excellent re-design of kapy27's original - to be found at: https://www.printables.com/model/18183-pillar-drill-press-dremel

UPDATE (15/04/2022):

By the way, the photos were taken at an earlier stage of development so there are a few differences between the drill press depicted and the final version.  Minor things like a hole at the end of the lever (For a handle) I deemed unnecessary and detrimental to operation.  The Dremel adaptor bolt was on the lever-side which caused friction between the lever and carriage.  Small stuff like that…

UPDATE (27/04/2022):

Added a 4mm spacer between the lever and upper_pillar_clamp as the lever tended to rub against the Dremel body.  This means using a bolt of 35 mm (M4 or M3 will do) for the pivot.

By the way, to access the Dremel chuck clamp you can…

A) loosen the M3 corner screw on the upper_pillar_clamp and turn the Dremel round

B) take the rubber bands off and drop the lever down to allow access to the chuck clamp

C) orient the Dremel so the controls are on the left hand side of the drill press

D) remove the Dremel from the drill press

E) use pliers to grip the chuck shank while loosening the chuck (not recommended).

The easiest option is the one I use which is to have the Dremel controls facing left (option C. 

 

Printed parts:

All the STL files are aligned for optimal orientation.

Parts: (print 1 of each)

base
carriage
lever
lower_pillar_clamp
upper_pillar_clamp
rollers (6 rollers)
dremel_adaptor
brackets (all brackets)

Extra STL parts (duplicated to the correct quantities above):

roller
corner_bracket
pillar_bracket

 

Material:

PLA,  0.2 mm layers with 20% infill for all parts.  If you’re using PTEG or ABS, etc, you’ll need to do some scaling!

The Carriage requires support under the ‘bridge’ between the Dremel hole and the bigger hole for the main pillar.

With these settings on a Prusa Mk3s it should take about 18 hours (355g or 120 m) to print everything.

Non-printable parts:

Dremel (mine’s an old Model 800 but most should fit)
25.4 mm dia x 380 mm steel tubing
18 mm dia x 255 mm steel rod
50-55 mm dia rubber bands (x 3 or 4)
M3 nuts and bolts:
    18 mm ( x 6)
   12 mm (x 7)
    20 mm (x 7)
M4 nuts and bolts:
    30 mm (x 2)
M6 nut and bolt:
    60 mm (x 1)
6.25 mm x 15 mm brass or steel tubing
2 x M4 washers
1 x M5 washer
2 x M6 washers

 

Assembly:


 

 

Your Dremel screws into this adaptor and it's position and rotation is locked by tightening the M3 bolt on the front corner of the carriage.

Leave a 3 mm gap between the M4 bolt head and the upper_pillar_clamp for attaching the rubber bands.  Leave the M3 nuts loose.

 

 
Leave the M3 nuts loose.

 


Drop the M4 nut into the slot underneath the carriage then attach the lever as shown.  Don’t over-tighten the M4 bolt – the lever must be able to rotate and slide over the tubing.

 


Slot the M6 x 60 mm bolt through the end hole of the lever and screw on the M6 nut.

 


Slide the 6.25 mm steel rod down through the upper_pillar_clamp, through the carriage rollers and into lower_pillar_clamp. You will need to drill a 4 mm hole through the rod for an M3 lock nut or you could epoxy or superglue the rod into the carriage.

 


Slide the base feet into the corner_brackets and the main pillar into the pillar_bracket then position on the baseboard before drilling pilot holes for the screws.

Adjust the collars of the base, upper and lower clamps and tighten all M3 nuts.

Loosen the M3 nut at the front corner of the carriage and screw on your Dremel.  Rotate the drill so you can access the power and speed controls comfortably without the drill body touching any drill stand parts when the lever is raised or lowered then tighten the M3 bolt to clamp the Dremel securely.

Attach the rubber bands around the protruding bolts on the upper_pillar_clamp and carriage.

Use of a baseboard is essential to eliminate twist and wobble.  You can epoxy or superglue the drill stand into the brackets for a permanent set-up.

After all that treat yourself to a coffee and drill absolutely vertical holes in everything.

 

NEXT PROJECT:

A vice for the drill stand – keep checking back.

 

Regards, Paul

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